The Philadelphia Eagles started life without Jason Kelce with a win thanks to Saquon Barkley’s three touchdowns in a remarkable debut for his hometown team.
For the first time in 13 seasons, there was no Kelce under center for the Eagles. Although there were some early issues on the offensive line, they went on to a 34-29 victory over the Green Bay Packers in Brazil.
In a major scare for the Packers, starting quarterback Jordan Love limped off with six seconds remaining due to a leg injury.
Fueled by Barkley’s two rushing touchdowns and another through the air, Nick Sirianni’s team bore little resemblance to the team that so noticeably fell apart down the stretch last season.
AJ Brown also scored on a historic night for the NFL as the league played its first game in the southern hemisphere.
Saquon Barkley scored three touchdowns as the Eagles beat the Packers in Brazil on Friday.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love suffered a troubling leg injury with six seconds left in the game
Barkley scored his first touchdown since joining from the New York Giants with a superb catch
Barkley then showed off his devastating running ability, cutting through the Packers defense.
It was a huge win for Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, whose team inexplicably collapsed last year.
Kelce, who has been at the Eagles’ facility throughout the offseason but will make his ESPN debut Monday night, tweeted multiple times during the game.
Commenting on Love’s injury, he said: “I hope Jordan Love is okay, I love watching him play, I was a little nervous about that one, great win for the Good Guys.”
But not everything was easy for the Eagles. During the first quarter, the fans packed Kelceon social media, begging him to come out of retirement.
It happened after Cam Jurgens, who moved from the offensive line from guard to center to replace Kelce, threw the ball to the quarterback Jalen hurts very fast.
Hurts wasn’t ready for the ball and it bounced off his body and came loose, allowing the Packers defense to rush it and lose it.
It was a historic night for the NFL as the league played its first game in South America.
A similar situation occurred late in the game when the Eagles attempted to score with a ‘tush push’ to put the result beyond doubt.
Kelce, who was watching the game from home, was immediately bombarded with messages from fans begging him to come out of retirement after the play.
One fan wrote: ‘Eagles are about to pay Jason Kelce a billion dollars to come back.’
Another commented: ‘That’s it, @JasonKelce needs to put his jersey back on and get on the field.’
“If I were the Eagles I would call Kylie (Kelce) to ask permission to put @JasonKelce back on the field,” posted a third.
Another added: “Maybe the Eagles should call Jason Kelce to see if he wants to come back.”
Kelce took to X to express his support for Jurgens after a play, writing, ‘Cam Jurgens! Pulling under center! Gotta love this.’
Kelce posted multiple times on social media during the game while watching
Cam Jurgens, who moved from guard to center to replace Kelce, made a big mistake
Kelce went to the X to express his support for Jurgens after a play while watching from home
Earlier that night, Eagles players were widely booed as they entered the field in Brazil following the controversy involving cornerback Darius Slay.
Slay was forced to apologise earlier this week after saying he did not want to travel to Brazil to play due to fears over the country’s “high crime rate”.
He also criticised NFL bosses for sending the Eagles and Packers to the South American country, before eventually changing his mind and labelling it a “beautiful country”.
Despite Slay’s apology, fans at Arena Corinthians in São Paulo showed their anger by booing the Eagles players as they came out for pre-game warm-ups.
Barkley managed to silence the noise as he rushed for 109 yards and two scores, while also adding a touchdown reception.
Jalen Hurts completed 20 of 34 passes for 278 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, and AJ Brown had five receptions for 119 yards and a TD.
Love and Jayden Reed powered the Packers in a game that featured seven lead changes. Love threw for 260 yards, two TDs and an interception on 17-of-34 passing.
Reed had 171 yards from scrimmage with two scores. Josh Jacobs added 84 yards on 16 carries in his first game for Green Bay.